


In the Still of the Night

by addledwalrus



Series: Wasted Youth [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: 1950s, Accidents, Brother-Sister Relationships, Complete, Dating, Domestic Disputes, Drama, Female Characters, Happy Ending, Historical, Injury, Inspired by a Movie, Major Character Injury, Misunderstandings, Murder Mystery, Not Really Character Death, Original Character(s), Originally Posted Elsewhere, Panic, Some Humor, Suburbia, Teenagers, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 01:04:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6882811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Rear Window inspired story about James, his younger sister Betty and their mysterious neighbors in 1955.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I fully realize that this sort of concept has probably been done to death already, but I couldn't resist. The title was taken from the song by The Five Satins.

It all started during the first week of summer in 1955. James Oswald had recently finished the first year of his journalism degree and some old friends had invited him on a ski trip to the mountains. He'd wasted no time in accepting, eager to get away from the hot weather for a while, and it would have been the perfect way to mark the end of his adolescence, if it weren't for his sister Betty interfering in his business as she tended to do.

"So you're going skiing next weekend?" She asked excitedly as she intruded his room and sat down on his bed.

"That's right." He replied, knowing from the expression on her face that she was about to make an unreasonable request.

"Can I come too? We rarely get any snow here."

"The answer is no."

"Why not?"

James glared at her with an exasperated sigh. He couldn't believe he was going to explain the facts of life to her once again and that it probably still wouldn't get through to her fragile little mind.

"You're a girl. You wouldn't fit in with us."

"I'll mind my own business."

"You'd still end up being a liability. Besides, aren't you better off staying at home and helping around the house? You know Mom and Dad would never forgive me if you got into some sort of accident."

"I really do hate you sometimes. You never let me have any fun." Betty muttered after she processed her brother's words. She stood up and bitterly left the room, her arms crossed and a pout on her face. James watched her go in silence, while shaking his head in disapproval at her immature behavior.

* * *

Betty didn't speak to him again for the rest of the day and James found himself feeling a little guilty for being so quick to dismiss her wishes, however absurd they seemed. Nevertheless, he tried to reassure himself that he'd done the right thing, since skiing was not the sort of activity a pretty seventeen year old girl was supposed to partake in.

James' father asked for his help in repairing a hole in the roof the following morning and the disagreement he'd had with his sister was soon forgotten, as he climbed the ladder and crawled up to where his father was waiting. They made pretty good progress and the job would have been complete by that afternoon, if it weren't for James' own carelessness. He had grown accustomed to sitting up on the roof and made the foolish mistake of believing he could also walk upright without any difficulty.

As he lost his balance and desperately flailed his arms in an attempt to grab onto the edge of the roof, he knew he should have foreseen such a thing happening and berated himself for his stupidity. A feeling of nausea overcame him as he fell backwards and saw the look of terror on his father's face.

He landed feet first and heard a dreadful crunch as his legs suddenly gave way and he slumped on his back in the soft grass. His breathes came out slowly and heavily as he stared up at the cloudless sky, before the numbness in his lower body gave way to an unbearable, throbbing pain. He winced and clenched his teeth as tears began to cloud his vision. He recognized the figures of his mother and sister running towards him and heard his father shout his name in concern, before closing his eyes with a weary sigh.

* * *

"So much for going to the mountains..." James complained loudly to himself, while his mother wheeled him into his room and Betty followed closely behind. The nurses at the local hospital had put a cast on his broken leg and informed him that it would take at least a month to properly heal. In the meantime, he was to stay in his wheelchair as much as possible. The thought of once again having to bathe and go to bed with his mother's assistance greatly humiliated him and he begged the two females to give him some time alone so that he could try to put himself at ease.

He passed the first few days by reading and drawing on old paper, but when that began to bore him, he took to spying on his neighbors through a set of binoculars and taking photos of anything that caught his interest. He gradually became accustomed to his mother coming in to change his cast and give him massages, contrary to his own expectations. All the while, he found himself growing more familiar with the people who lived nearby and wondered why he never paid much attention to them before.

There was Grace Donovan, an attractive girl he believed to be in her twenties; Mr Sullivan, a young salesman who always seemed to be on the phone and the Carusos, an Italian family that had moved in rather recently.

The act of observing the daily activities of his neighbors increasingly intrigued him to the point of obsession and he ignored his mother's words of warning that it would only bring trouble.

* * *

A fortnight after James' accident, Mr and Mrs Oswald announced that they would be going away for a few days and entrusted Betty with his wellbeing.

James dreaded the idea of being looked after by his younger sister and went out of his way to refuse her help as much as he could, once their parents had departed.

Betty didn't back down so easily however as she took the extra time to wheel him to the toilet, comb his hair and brush his teeth for him, despite his protests.

"Betty, why don't you put my things in here? I can still groom myself, you know." He requested, once he was back in his room.

"Well, it's fun getting to take care of you, but if you insist..."

"So, you'll do it?"

"Yeah, as soon as I come back from my date..."

"What did you say?"

"I have a date tonight..." Betty replied shyly, clasping her hands together.

James couldn't quite believe his ears. His parents hadn't even been away for twenty four hours, yet his little sister was already planning on going out with boys, something that she'd been forbidden from doing when they were around. Maybe she wasn't as slow and foolish as she let on.

"A date, you say? With who, and when?" He asked, wanting to know more.

"His name's Jerry. I'm supposed to meet him at the drive-in at eight, that's why I prepared dinner and got you ready for bed early."

She turned away in embarrassment and strode out of the room in a hurry. As James watched her walk away, his protective instincts took over and he called out after her in concern.

"Wait, when will you be back?!"

Betty stopped in her tracks and looked back at her brother. She took a deep breath as a sliver of uncertainty rose in her mind over what she was going to do that night.

"The movie finishes at ten so I should be back by eleven, unless something happens..."

"What do you mean, if something happens?" James tried to ask, but she was gone from his sight before she could even hear his final question.

He lowered his head as he was filled with worry over the thought of her all alone with a boy he didn't know. At the age of nineteen, he'd had his fair share of dates and was well aware that other males weren't as polite as he was. He'd heard stories in high school of girls being forced to do things they weren't ready for and he could only pray that the same thing wouldn't happen to Betty.

The minutes ticked by slowly and he eventually realized the futility of worrying about his younger sister when she was already gone. He knew he was going to have to take his mind off her somehow and as he laid his eyes on the binoculars beside his bed, it became obvious how he would go about it.

He picked up the binoculars and gazed outside to see that most of the neighbors had their windows wide open, allowing him to see what went on inside their houses. A smile formed on his face as his focus fell on the figure of Grace Donovan undressing and walking casually about in only her bra and underwear.

The act of watching the oblivious young woman thrilled him and filled him with guilt at the same time, and he found that he couldn't take his eyes away from the glorious sight.

Grace soon disappeared behind a closed door and in disappointment, he shifted the binoculars so that he could spy on the mysterious Caruso family. It seemed as if Mr and Mrs Caruso were embroiled in some heated argument, though he was unable to make out what they were shouting at each other.

 _"Not that it would matter anyway. I doubt they even speak English."_ He thought as he briefly adjusted the binoculars in the hope that he could get a better view.

James looked again and saw that the couple were no longer standing by the window. He impatiently hoped that they would come back into his view, unaware of the shock he would receive in just a few moments.

A shrill, incomprehensible scream pierced the night and James could only assume that the voice belonged to Mrs Caruso, before a deafening crash made every other sound seem like silence in comparison.

* * *

James dropped his binoculars in shock and could only stare out the window while losing track of time. He regained his composure when he saw Mr Caruso reenter his view dragging a heavy sack and holding a large knife that glinted in the moonlight.

James watched Mr Caruso drop the sack and walk over to the kitchen sink to turn on the water. Desperate to get a better focus, he reached for his telescope and hurriedly adjusted it according to distance.

Through the single lens of the telescope, he saw Mr Caruso holding the blade of the knife under the running tap as the water turned blood red. A sick feeling rose in his stomach and he placed his telescope down.

A horrifying scenario came together in James' mind. Mr Caruso must have surely got into an argument with his wife that turned violent. In his anger, he would have lost all control and stabbed her with his knife.

The explanation made too much sense especially when James took into account the scream and crash from earlier. It chilled him to think of what Mrs Caruso's final moments might have been like and he knew the only way he could feel at ease again was to talk to somebody he trusted.

As if on cue, he was startled by the sound of the front door slamming downstairs and Betty calling his name. A sense of relief came over him when he realized that she'd come back from her date unharmed, but the feeling quickly gave way to urgency as he tried to figure out the best way to tell her about what he'd seen.

She came up the stairs and arrived at his bedroom door just as he'd hoped. She smiled at him and he stared back anxiously before clearing his throat.

"Betty, there's something I need to tell you about Mr and Mrs Caruso."

* * *

**To be continued in the next part...**


	2. Part Two

"So you're saying it might have been her blood that was on the knife? That's horrible!"

"Keep your voice down. He's back." James whispered anxiously to his sister, putting the binoculars back up to his eyes.

Betty's expression became pensive as she huddled by her brother's shoulder in the hope of also catching a glimpse of the alleged crime scene. To her dismay, she wasn't even able to distinguish the figure of Mr Caruso from his surroundings.

"What's he doing?" She asked impatiently after realizing she would just have to rely on what James happened to see.

"He's dragging a sack across the floor. I guess it's too heavy for him to lift..."

"What do you think could be in it?"

"I don't know, his wife maybe?"

"Oh, that's sick!"

James couldn't resist smiling a little at his sister's disgusted reaction. It was enough to make him temporarily forget that he had quite possibly witnessed a murder, though the most logical course of action soon occurred to him.

"We should call the police. They'll come over and conduct an investigation so we can be sure."

He expected Betty to agree with his plan, but instead she looked strangely disappointed at his suggestion.

"Whatever you say..." She sighed as she reluctantly left the room to dial the emergency number on the phone.

* * *

James awoke the following morning and blinked a couple of times to let his eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. He leaned forward in his wheelchair and stretched his arms with a yawn, before he remembered the events of the previous night.

He ignored the growling of his empty stomach and grabbed the binoculars from his bedside table. He soon saw Mr Caruso going about typical morning activities, which could only have meant that the police hadn't found anything suspicious on the premises.

One question still plagued him though. If Mr Caruso was in fact innocent, than what had happened to Mrs Caruso? There had to be a reason for her not being at the table with her husband.

"...James, I've made toast with strawberry jam! Would you like some?"

James spun around in alarm to see Betty standing at the door holding the plate while smiling pleasantly. The sight of the red patch on the toast coupled with his sister's happy expression greatly unsettled him, though he couldn't figure out why.

"Sure..." He replied in uncertainty, reaching over to take the plate from her.

"You don't need to feel bad. I've already eaten mine." Betty said brightly as she sat down on his bed.

James lifted the slice of toast to his mouth without looking at his sister and took a bite. The taste of sugar and strawberries filled him with relief and allowed him to think clearly about what was bothering him.

"Did you actually call the police last night?"

"Yes, I did. They went into his house and came back out thirty minutes later with nothing. I guess that means he's innocent."

"Are you sure? Mrs Caruso is still missing, you know."

"Still missing?" Betty gasped while staring at her brother in confusion. "What do you think happened to her, then?"

"Maybe he has an accomplice that we don't know about." James finally answered after thinking long and hard about all the possibilities. "He must have removed all of the evidence from his house with their help, so that it would seem like he was innocent."

"And who do you think that accomplice is?"

"I have no idea..." He admitted to his sister in shame after several moments of indecision.

* * *

"If it makes you feel better, I think I have a plan." Betty proclaimed, standing up abruptly from the bed.

"And what would that be?" James asked her skeptically.

"I'll sneak into his house tonight when nobody's around and search for any signs of foul play..."

"You'll get caught right away."

Betty sighed in annoyance and glared at James as if he were a fool, before continuing to explain her idea.

"See, that's where you come in. You're supposed to make a prank call and get him out of the house beforehand, so I can do my part safely."

James stared at his sister, unsure whether to be frightened or impressed by her plan.

"You can even write a script so you don't make any mistakes..." Betty added when she saw James' blank expression. "It's what I did when I asked Jerry if he wanted to go on a date..."

"You're...you're crazy..." James muttered as he felt blood slowly draining from his face.

"Are you saying that my plan's silly?"

"No, your plan is alright. It's just that you're too calm about this whole thing. We're dealing with a possible murder here, for goodness sake."

"Oh, I know that. I just think that this is the most interesting thing we've done all year. If it weren't for the knife and the blood, I'd wish we could work together like this all the time, because I think we make a great team..."

"You don't need to tell me anymore. I understand." James interrupted. "I'll be ready tonight, rest assured."

* * *

"So, how do I look?" Betty asked as she strutted into James' room after dinner and spun around, showing off her matching pink dress and headband.

"You look great..." James replied, blinking in awe. "...But why did you choose now to dress yourself up so nicely?"

"Because if all goes wrong and I get caught, maybe he'll see how pretty I look and have second thoughts about hurting me."

"...I wouldn't count on that if I were you. You should at least change into a more comfortable pair of shoes."

"Nope, I think I'm fine this way."

"Well, suit yourself. Could you bring me the telephone?"

"Sure."

Betty returned less than a minute later and handed the communication device to James so that he could dial the Carusos' number. He put the receiver to his ear and waited for Mr Caruso to respond.

 _"Hello, who is this?"_ A heavily accented voice greeted him.

"Good evening, sir..." James spoke up, doing his best Mid-Atlantic accent while trying to hide his fear. "I'm calling from the births, deaths and marriage registry. We have found that your marriage certificate wasn't properly verified and would appreciate it if you would come see us immediately regarding this matter."

_"What do you mean? The wife and I both signed it. The officer said everything was fine."_

"A new policy was put in place recently, good sir. We had to double check all of our records as a result."

_"Alright, I will come and see you. But I'm telling you, there can't be anything wrong with-"_

The rest of Mr Caruso's sentence devolved into what sounded like incomprehensible gibberish to James' ears, before complete silence fell on the other end. He hung up and asked Betty to pass him the binoculars.

* * *

"You'd better move quickly. It'll be three hours at the most before he comes back." James hurriedly explained to Betty just as she was preparing to climb out through the window.

"I know, I know..." She said impatiently, lifting her skirt slightly so that it wouldn't get caught on anything.

James watched her slip away from the window and out of his view. He uttered a prayer in his mind that she would return from her mission on time and in one piece, for he knew that he would never forgive himself if any harm befell her.

* * *

Climbing over the fence and entering Mr Caruso's backyard turned out to be easier than Betty had expected. She bent her legs as she landed on the grass, in order to minimize impact and make as little sound as possible, before standing up straight and scurrying towards the nearest open window.

Once inside, Betty immediately realized that she had just entered the kitchen. She scanned her surroundings and her eyes fell on a large pot resting on top of the stove. She tiptoed towards it and held her breath as she reached for the lid in curiosity.

Betty prepared herself for the worst possible discovery as she slowly lifted the lid off the pot, only to be greeted by the sight of a huge amount of some rich red sauce. She stared down at the pot's contents for several seconds before wafting the smell towards her nose.

She was soon sure that the smell was undeniably that of cooked tomatoes and closed the pot in confusion. She then turned to inspect the sink and sure enough found a knife with red juice and tomato seeds all over it.

"Oh..." She muttered to herself as it became clear that her brother had completely misunderstood something rather innocent. Overcome with embarrassment, her immediate urge was to leave the place before she could be discovered, so she began to run back the way she'd come.

A small shadow approached her just as she was about to leave through the window. She sensed the new presence and froze in horror.

* * *

James watched from the safety of his wheelchair in stunned silence. He'd always presumed Mr and Mrs Caruso to be somewhere in their thirties or forties, but he'd never considered the possibility that they had young children of their own.

 _"Come on, get out of there! What are you waiting for?!"_ He mentally screamed as he saw Betty turn to face the little boy instead of taking the wiser course of action.

* * *

"Who are you?" The boy asked Betty as she made eye contact with him.

"I'm just a figment of your imagination. Don't tell anyone I was here." She replied hurriedly before she leaped outside.

It was only when she was back behind her own house and climbing up the pipe, that she realized the stupidity of the explanation she'd given Mr Caruso's son. There was no way even the most naive of children would fall for that sort of lie.

She tried not to think too much about it and instead focus on the present while she clambered back into her brother's bedroom.

"James, I'm afraid we're both idiots." She said breathlessly as she got up and brushed dust off her skirt. "I checked their kitchen and all I found was a lot of tomatoes."

"T-tomatoes?" James stammered, his face turning pale with shame.

"Yeah, I guess we overreacted. Maybe we should just forget that any of this ever happened...what are you doing?"

"It looks like Mr Caruso's talking to that kid you met earlier. I guess this means we're doomed."

"Could I have a look?"

"Why not?" James replied, passing the binoculars to Betty.

She took them and gazed through the lenses at the innocent face of Mr Caruso's son. She found herself feeling strangely content and continued to stare, despite the rational part of her mind telling her to stop right away.

* * *

Betty gave the binoculars back to James after she saw Mr Caruso leave the room in an apparent fit of anger. James wearily slumped backwards in his wheelchair and closed his eyes while she sat down on the bed in deep contemplation.

The siblings stayed in their positions for the next half an hour without speaking or making eye contact with each other. The silence was eventually broken by a loud knocking coming from downstairs and Betty sprung up immediately, as if she were a statue that had been brought to life.

"Betty, don't answer the door. Stay here..." James sighed without opening his eyes.

Betty did as her brother said, knowing that he was trying to prevent her from getting into a possibly dangerous situation.

"Do you think it's Mr Caruso?" She whispered fearfully as she sat back down.

"...Should be. Who else would come knocking at this time?"

The pounding abruptly stopped and Betty held her breath as she glanced towards the bedroom door, unsure whether she was supposed to be wary or relaxed.

The sound of footsteps ascending the stairs soon told her that it was meant to be the former. Her heart skipped a beat and she stood up in a panic, before making her way towards the open door to confront the intruder.

* * *

Mr Caruso stared harshly at her from the other end of the hallway and she swallowed in fear.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to sound brave.

'You came into my house without permission, so I am doing the same."

"I'm afraid this is all just some huge misunderstanding-."

"Where is your friend, the one who called me?"

"He's not here..." She lied as she thought of James lying in his wheelchair.

"Did he tell you to do it?" Mr Caruso demanded to know, crossing his arms impatiently.

Betty paused and thought about how while it was her brother whom had told her that he'd witnessed a murder, she had been the one to initiate most of the investigation.

"No, sir. It was my idea. I can explain, if you promise not to laugh at me..." She confessed, deciding it would be better if she took all of the responsibility.


	3. Epilogue

Sixteen year old Grace Donovan charged into her room in a rage while her parents screamed at her from the hallway. She slammed the door behind her and collapsed on her bed, finally allowing long repressed tears to flow down her cheeks. As she lay there, she thought about the older man she adored so much and wallowed in despair over being forbidden from ever spending time with him again.

In another house, Mr Sullivan was speaking on the phone as he always seemed to be doing. This time however, his tone was considerably more relaxed as he agreed to go on a date with the love of his life, Lesley. He hung up the phone once all of the arrangements were made and smiled in bliss, dreaming of the time when he would make Lesley his wife and perhaps have a couple of children who would one day carry on their legacy.

* * *

"Spying on the neighbors, again?" Betty asked playfully as she entered James' room without warning.

"Th-this is the last time, I swear!" He cried in alarm, fumbling and dropping the binoculars in his attempt to look innocent.

"Calm down. I understand perfectly how hard it is to resist." Betty said with a mischievous smile as she sat down beside him. "Grace is really something, isn't she? Though, I heard she is a bit of a tramp..."

"Where did you hear about that gossip?" James asked skeptically.

Betty grinned at her brother as if she were about to reveal a scandalous secret.

"You don't know? She's a grade below me, yet she hangs out with all sorts of boys, if you know what I mean."

"Thanks a lot, Betty. I feel like a criminal now, thinking she was an adult when she's actually younger than you..."

"Oh, that's alright. I was also confused the first time I saw her."

James smiled at his sister in relief before it occurred to him how he could get even with her attempt to humiliate him.

"Say, Betty...I'm pretty sure I saw you checking out Mr Sullivan yesterday. Isn't he almost twice your age?"

Betty frowned and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, he's not bad looking and he seems pretty rich. Besides, if I can get a man like that one day, I'll be as good as taken care of."

"You haven't changed at all..." James observed, looking at his sister in amusement.

A voice from downstairs interrupted the touching moment between the two siblings and Betty rushed out of the room to answer her mother's call.

A strange feeling of peace came over James while he sat alone in his room afterwards. All of the conversations and the sounds of his busy neighbors suddenly seemed insignificant and he closed his eyes, letting his mind slip away to old childhood memories.

_"Enjoy your freedom while you can, Betty. You never know when you might regret it..."_


End file.
